


Sapphire and Silver

by Kina



Category: One Piece
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance, Supernatural Elements, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-02
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2018-05-24 08:46:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6148086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kina/pseuds/Kina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The silver ring isn't magnificent, but it seems to call to Sanji. Unknown to the crew is the curse laid upon it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A One Piece fanfiction that I wrote years ago but forgot to post.

Sanji was never one much for treasure, at least not as much as the rest of the crew.  The delicately crafted, jewel-encrusted trinkets, carefully carved gems, and gold all started to look the same after a while.  Of course, he didn’t mind the precious cargo, especially not when Nami or Robin would slip on bits of jewelry from the hoard to wear momentarily before being carefully put away again.  Women are beautiful creatures, and their beauty is magnified a thousand-fold when accompanied with precious gems and bands of gold or silver.  So, no, Sanji doesn’t mind the treasure at all… he just has no personal interest in it. 

Or, that’s how it had always been before, but now he can’t quite tear his eyes away from the mound of treasure piled out on the dining room table.  Past the sea of jewels, gold, and jewelry lies a now open small, black box.  The box itself is made of fine velvet, while the inside is filled with folds of silk, and nestled in the center of the blanket of silk is a single, silver ring. 

The ring isn’t all that magnificent when compared to the other jewelry proudly glimmering in the room’s light, but it isn’t any old, boring trinket either.  From what he can see from afar, for he dare not go for it with the other men of the crew within sight, the ring is intricately engraved with swirls and knots winding around the band and encircling a small sapphire placed alongside the silver.  It’s certainly not magnificent, but for some reason it calls to him, and he truly wishes to reach out and examine it up close. 

Robin picks up the velvet box and carefully extracts the ring inside, turning it this way and that before sliding it onto one of her slim fingers.  It doesn’t come close to fitting, which could easily be guessed from the width of the ring.  Nami and Robin soon begin fiddling with the ring, sliding it onto their thumbs to see if it fits, but it never does.

“I’m guessing,” Robin speaks softly, yet loud enough for all to hear, “that this is a man’s ring.  It is quite refined in its own way, but the design is more subtle than a ring for a woman would be.”  She looks back to Sanji, and he wonders if he just imagines the barely there knowing upturn of her lips.  “Why don’t you try it on, Cook-san?”

Sanji eyes the ring presented to him.  He tries not to appear too eager as he gently picks it from Robin’s proffered hand, and slips it onto his ring finger.  It slides easily past his knuckle and rests somewhat loosely at the bottom of his appendage.  He moves it to his middle finger, and there the silver band rests comfortably.  He stares at the silver and sapphire blue against his own skin, and he can’t help but think that it feels as if the ring belongs there.

“It really is very handsome,” Nami voices.  “I’m surprised that the silver looks so good against your skin.”

At this, Sanji looks to the redhead and smiles his most loving smile.  “Why thank you, Nami-swan!  Although I must say, jewelry is much more suited for beautiful women like you.”

At the navigator’s request, Sanji releases the ring into her hold.  She carefully looks over every detail of the ring and weighs it in her palm.  “I bet a ring like this, even if it isn’t extremely extravagant, would sell for a fair price.”

She goes on to speculate on the amount of Berri all the treasure could earn them, but the blond has stopped listening, instead looking longingly at the ring now tucked safely back in its box.  It isn’t until Luffy begins tugging on his suit jacket and hanging off his shoulders demanding dinner that he moves his gaze away from the ring.  He retreats to the kitchen, effortlessly kicking Luffy out of the galley as the dark-haired teen tries to sneak into the supply closet, and sets to work on making dinner.  All the while oblivious to a certain pair of eyes watching him the whole way.

/---/

Dinner is a rambunctious affair as per usual.  Luffy eagerly eats his helping of supper, asks for another, and not-so-sneakily grabs food off of his nakama's plates.  Usopp and Chopper fight valiantly against Luffy’s attacks, too distracted by their captain to notice the first mate sneaking bites from their plates as well.  Franky laughs exuberantly at the commotion around him while Brook cracks random skeleton jokes.  Nami gripes at Luffy when he grabs for a piece of her food, and Sanji threatens the captain with his second helping of supper.  Robin just sits back, smiles around the fork held daintily between her lips, and takes it all in.  It’s just another meal on the Thousand Sunny.

When the meal is over, the crew stays seated at the table and basks in companionship.  Usopp is in the middle of spinning a tall tale with Chopper and Luffy as his wide-eyed and awed audience.  Nami and Robin sip on tea and plan the next day’s schedule.  Brook is in the process of tuning his violin, for Luffy had exclaimed that the evening must end in music while Franky heads off for the first watch of the evening –even anchored offshore from the island could be dangerous if there happened to be other pirates or the navy around.  Zoro nonchalantly watches the cook’s movements as Sanji goes through the motions of collecting dirty dishes and transporting them to the counter to be washed.

The blond prepares the soapy water and carefully places the dishes from supper into the sink.  He’s trying to hide the fact that he’s not completely focused on his task.  He would like to believe that he’s doing well in it, but then Zoro sidles up beside him and offers to help with the dishes.  It’s not uncommon for Zoro to offer his help, but it definitely isn’t exactly common either.  If Sanji hadn’t noticed the curious glance from the swordsman out of the corner of his eye, then he would have been able to convince himself that the marimo was simply being extra nice because of the bottle of expensive wine he had broken the night before. 

The two fall into a routine of wash, rinse, and dry as the conversations at the table surround them in a comfortable cloud.  Sanji relaxes, knowing that as long as his nakama are present, then Zoro will refrain from asking about the cook’s distraction.  It’s times like these that he loves the fact that the two of them had begun their exclusive relationship some months ago.  The marimo has thankfully learned to keep private talks in private, whereas before he would have jumped the gun and asked about what was bothering the cook right in front of the rest of the crew, who then wouldn’t leave well enough alone until Sanji either made up a believable lie or truthfully told them whatever the bastard swordsman has inquired about.  Bless small favors.

In the next half an hour, the crew slowly filters out from the galley and heads elsewhere on the Sunny.  Robin is the last to leave, taking a pot of tea with her to enjoy while reading.  As soon as Sanji and Zoro are left alone together, the atmosphere changes, but not altogether in an uncomfortable way.

“So,” the swordsman begins casually, “mind telling me why you’ve been acting off the last few hours?”

Sanji pauses in his dish washing to retrieve a cigarette and light it.  “Who says I’m acting off?  I think I’m acting the same as usual, shitty marimo.”

“Yeah, right.  You do usually have that faraway glaze to your eyes, but only when you’re looking at women.”

The blond can’t help but smirk.  “Is that a hint of jealousy I detect in your voice?”

“No, curly-brow.  After this long I’m used to it.  Besides, they may be pretty, but they don’t have the right equipment to satisfy your needs.”

Sanji almost chokes on his cigarette, and he turns to glare at the man beside him, who’s looking down quite smugly at the cup he’s drying.  He searches for words, but can’t seem to come up with an appropriate comeback.  So he glares angrily down at the soapy water and vigorously washes the bowl in hand.

“But seriously, what’s going on?  You’ve seemed off ever since we got back from the island this afternoon.”

The blond is silent as he slows the pace of his dish washing.  It makes sense to keep his fondness for the ring away from the rest of the crew, but he isn’t in a relationship with them.  He glances curiously to the side at his lover before going back to paying attention to the task at hand. 

“First off, I have a question for you.  Where did you guys even find that chest?  I’d rather know now than when the locals are coming after us for stealing their prized treasure.”

“I don’t know.  Franky and Nami are the ones who found it.  When we asked where they got it, Nami just smirked and said that we didn’t need to know.  Which probably means the sea witch stole it.”

“Don’t call Nami-chan that, marimo,” Sanji snaps on reflex. 

Zoro snorts and sets aside a few more dry dishes to be put up.  “I answered your question, cook.”

“That you did.”  He pauses.  “It’s not really anything big, so don’t get your hopes up… and if you laugh, I swear I will kick the shit out of you.  Got that, shit for brains?”

Curiosity piqued, Zoro readily nods his understanding, looking expectantly at the blond.

“That ring,” Sanji quietly admits.  “There’s something about it that… I don’t know… _calls_ to me, if that makes any sense.  I don’t really know how to explain it.”

“Why would I laugh about something like that?  Who cares if you like some piece of jewelry?  I’d kind of be a hypocrite if I were to tease you about that.” 

The soft jingling as the swordsman brushes the dangling jewelry at his ear reaches the blonde’s ear, and he grins.  Sanji should have considered the fact that Zoro owns jewelry himself.  For some reason, the fact had slipped his mind.  If anyone dared tease Sanji about the fact that he was attracted to the ring, then they’d have to deal with the irate swordsman.  The thought brings a smirk to his lips as begins putting away the now clean dishes.

“I hadn’t thought about that.”

Zoro appraises the man beside him for a moment before looking elsewhere.  “Why don’t you ask Nami for the ring?”

The thought hadn’t really come to mind.  The blond frowns as he brings a cigarette up to his lips.  “Nah.  It would probably just get in the way of all my cooking anyway.”

Zoro gives the man a look that clearly states that he doesn’t buy the excuse.  Sanji just shrugs and nonchalantly puts the last dish away.  Without even looking back at the other, he sets about gathering sake and a bottle of his favorite wine, which is nearly empty.  He has to remember to get some in the morning.  Soon enough Zoro is joining him at the table, and the two drink from their cups contently.  Thankfully Zoro doesn’t mention the ring again. 

After a few hours Franky walks into the kitchen, a warm drink already prepared for him, and Sanji leaves to take his shift as lookout.  As he passes by the swordsman, he just barely traces his fingers along the man’s collar bone and up his neck to his jaw.  Franky, who has his back turned to the two, doesn’t notice as Zoro gives the blond a heated look.  The cook cocks his head to the side, a sly smile and challenge in his eye.  He turns and heads towards the crow’s nest, wondering if he’ll be having company on his watch.  Judging by the hunger in the marimo’s eyes, he’s guessing yes.


	2. Chapter 2

Sanji rises the next morning feeling drowsier than he usually does.  He pulls himself up from his hammock and stumbles to the bathroom to relieve himself.  After washing up, he trudges towards the kitchen.  The first thing he does upon entering his sanctuary is start brewing some coffee, one of the rare times when he’s actually going to need it to help wake himself up.    

It isn’t until he’s halfway through making breakfast that he notices something that certainly does not belong on his person.  On the ring finger of his left hand sits the silver ring from yesterday.  Whereas the day before the ring was loose on the finger, now it fits snuggly yet comfortably against his skin. 

He stares at his hand in confusion.  The sapphire looks even more vibrant than it did yesterday, although perhaps that’s just because he’s so groggy.  He doesn’t remember going to get the ring, and he’s pretty sure Zoro doesn’t have the guts to sneak into the girl’s quarters to take it from the chest.  Carefully flipping the egg in the skillet over, the blond thinks back on the night before.

After leaving the kitchen, he had gone up to the crow’s nest.  The moon had been reflecting ethereally against the dark, ocean water, a pleasant sight to gaze at while on the lookout.  So entranced was he by the water that he had given a start when the hatch had opened and the marimo appeared in the room. 

Sanji has the good grace to blush as he remembers the man’s visit.

After he had relieved watch to Zoro, he had left the crow’s nest and wandered back to the kitchen.  He drank a glass of water, for his throat had been rather parched, and then had headed to the men’s quarters.  After brushing his teeth and changing into night clothes, he had laid down.  Sleep had claimed him almost immediately. 

The blond has no more time to ponder as he hears a high-pitched shriek coming from the women’s quarters.  His heart sinking into the pit of his stomach, he quickly turns off the fire on the stove and races from the kitchen, heading towards the source of the scream.  He meets the men of the crew along the way, even Usopp who is on watch. 

When they all reach the room shared by Nami and Robin, they come across a confusing site.  The treasure chest is lying on its side with almost all of its contents spilled across the floor.  Nami’s face has turned scarlet in anger, and Robin just looks upon the scene with a bewildered expression.

“What happened?”  Luffy asks slightly blearily. 

“Obviously, someone broke into our room!”  The navigator shouts.

“It looks as if the only thing upset it the treasure chest, but the treasure is still there,” Robin states slowly as if speaking her thoughts aloud without her notice.

And it’s true.  The room looks completely untouched besides the chest.  What makes the whole thing so curious is the fact that it appears that none of the treasure has been stolen.  All of a sudden, something clicks within Sanji’s mind.  His right hand immediately goes for his left, where he can feel the weight of the ring on his finger. 

“But we’ve been watching the ship all night!  Apparently no one saw anybody approaching, or else they would have alerted us,” Chopper squeaks, eyes wide and worried.

“Well, somebody mustn’t have been watching very closely, or else there wouldn’t be treasure strewn across the floor!”  Nami sends a rather pointed look to Zoro, and the swordsman bristles.

“Are you trying to imply something?”  The man’s voice is low and dangerous.

“Yes, I am,” the woman snarls.  “You’re always sleeping on watch.  If there was a chance for anyone to get on board, it would have been during your shift!”

“I was watching the whole fucking time, you witch!”

Robin interjects before the two are able to start a full-blown war.  “Now wait a minute.  The thing we should be most concerned about for now is the motive behind this.  Why would they come in here?  Was anything stolen?”

It’s then Sanji decides to speak up.  “Uh… what if nothing was actually stolen?”  The blond extends his hand, showing off the ring set innocently on his finger. 

“What the hell, Sanji,” a few of the men of the crew exclaim.

“I didn’t take it!”  He holds his hands up in surrender as the redhead’s fiery eyes lock onto his hand.  He sees great pain for himself in those eyes.

“Oi, he couldn’t have taken it,” Zoro puts in.  “As soon as he came into the bunks after his shift, he was sleeping like the dead.  Didn’t even have the courtesy to check if I was awake for my shift, asshole.”

“That’s right,” Brook adds thoughtfully.  “He was sound asleep when I left.”

“Now that you mention, he was when I left, too,” Usopp declares.

“He had to have come in at some point during the night,” Nami says nastily. 

A sharp pain throbs in the blonde’s chest, and his arms drop to his side.  It hurts to think that the navigator would think ill enough of him that he would sneak into the room and steal from her.  He suddenly doesn’t have to voice to defend himself.

“I can’t believe you would accuse Sanji of something like that,” Luffy says readily, suddenly very awake. 

Sanji just watches as Luffy and Nami begin to fight.  With every word the redhead says, the captain’s expression darkens.  He feels helpless.  He doesn’t remember taking the ring, and he doesn’t believe he has a history of sleepwalking.  Besides, wouldn’t one of the women have woken up if someone had snuck into their room?

A sudden touch on his hand makes him start, and he glances to the side.  Zoro isn’t looking at him, instead frowning at Nami, but he’s certain it’s the marimo’s hand that is softly squeezing his.  He can’t help but feel somewhat comforted by the contact, even if his chest still aches slightly.

After a few more minutes of shouted exclamations between the captain and the navigator, Sanji deems it time to settle things down.  He sets a hand on the dark-haired teen’s shoulder and pulls him gently towards himself.  “Arguing isn’t going to solve anything, Luffy.”

Luffy looks back and opens his mouth to reply, but someone beats him to it.

“Cook-san, I thought the ring was too big to fit on your ring finger yesterday.”

This causes everyone to pause, all eyes going between Robin and the hand resting on Luffy’s shoulder. 

The blond frowns.  “It did, but it was like this when I first noticed it earlier.”

Robin hums in her throat and holds her hand out to him.  Getting the unspoken request, Sanji presents his hand to the woman.  Soft, lithe fingers trace over the silver band before grabbing hold of it.  When she tries to remove the ring, it doesn’t budge.  At this, the cook frowns and retracts his hand.  He starts out gently pulling on the ring, afraid to harm his appendage, but ends up yanking on the jewelry almost frantically.

It’s not the fact that the ring won’t come off that panics him, but rather the fact that it won’t move.  Rings always shift at least a little, but now it’s as if the ring is fused to his skin.  As if sensing his distress, Luffy makes a grab for his hand to try and pry the ring away, then Usopp, then Chopper, then Franky, then Brook, then Zoro, and even Nami.  Not once does it move even a fraction.

“What the hell?!” Sanji stares down at the ring in horror while the rest of the crew looks on in bewilderment and alarm.

Robin crosses her arms across her chest, eyebrows furrowed together.  “I get the feeling that this isn’t any ordinary ring.”

“Kitetsu isn’t reacting,” Zoro says gruffly, eyeing the ring somewhat worriedly now. 

“I didn’t necessarily mean that it’s cursed or anything… just that something isn’t right about it, such as the fact that it seems impossible to remove it.  It’s as if it doesn’t _want_ to come off.”

The blond brings his hand up to his chest, clutching at it almost desperately.  “All the more reason for me to want it off!” 

He had quite liked the ring yesterday, but he isn’t sure how to feel about it now.  He doesn’t like the fact that it won’t come off.  If, by some chance, it is cursed, then it could harm him in some way.  His hands are his livelihood, and he’ll be damned if he lets a ring of all things handicap him.  Even with his apprehension, and slight animosity at the thought of the ring injuring his hand, he still feels drawn to it; it still calls to him in some strange way, but it seems the pull is even stronger now.

“We should probably go into town and ask around about it.”  The archeologist looks to the navigator.  “Nami-san can show us where the treasure chest was found, and we’ll go on from there.”

At this time, Luffy’s stomach lets out a loud rumble.  The captain looks almost sheepish for a moment before glancing hopefully at the cook.  Sanji remembers that he was only a little more than halfway through making breakfast when he had left for the women’s quarters. 

“For now, let’s worry about breakfast.  We can go into town after.”  When the captain lets out an excited holler at the prospect of food, the cook is quick to silence him.  “Unfortunately, breakfast isn’t finished yet.  By the time everyone finishes getting ready for the day, the food should be done.”  Sanji turns a deaf ear to Luffy’s whining and quickly exits the room. 

Upon making it to the kitchen, the cook lets out a frustrated sigh.  Only a few of the omelets are done –and those are probably cold by now–, the tuna has yet to be cooked, and the fruit has yet to be cut.  In his hurry, he had also forgotten to turn off the oven, so the bread is more done than it should be.  It’s still edible, but not good enough to serve to his nakama.

He places the finished omelets in the fridge and pulls the bread from the oven before setting it aside on the counter –he’ll figure out what to do with it later.  He procures a large, mixing bowl and rushes about looking for ingredients to make muffins.  He replaces the fresh melon he had planned on using with assorted berries, dumping the fruit into a strainer and washing them off. 

The kitchen door closing alerts him of another’s presence, and he looks up long enough to ascertain that it’s Zoro.  He pays the man no mind as he begins fixing the muffin mixture.  After making certain that the mix is just right, he fills the muffin tray and places it in the oven. 

Next, he moves on to the tuna. Skillfully he begins scaling, gutting, deboning, and filleting the fish.  He reaches out to grab a pan but finds one already sitting on the counter beside him.  He briefly looks back at the swordsman before setting about pan-frying the fish.  It doesn’t take long for the fish to get nearly done, and he removes the pan from the fire so that the fish can continue cooking without getting overheated and overcooked. 

With the fish done and muffins baking in the oven, Sanji moves on to the next task.  He decides to continue with the omelets and sets about gathering the cut vegetables and mushrooms, cheese, and eggs.  Halfway through making the omelets, the blond removes the muffins from the oven and sets them on the counter to cool.  When placing the muffin tray down, he notices that a large chunk off the end of the freshly baked bread is missing.  He looks to the table, where Zoro now sits and notices the bread chunk already half-eaten.

“You’re going to spoil your breakfast,” Sanji calls over his shoulder as he goes back to the omelets. 

“You know that’s not true,” the man says around a mouthful of food.  “I do have to wonder though… why are you not serving the bread?”

“It baked for too long.  Can’t you tell, marimo?”

“It doesn’t taste that much different, dart-brow.”

“But it’s different enough.  It’s too tough,” the blond huffs.  “I’ll eat it myself throughout the day so that it doesn’t go to waste, but I will not serve it to the crew.”

“Am I not considered part of the crew now?”

“I didn’t serve you anything.  You came up and took it while I wasn’t looking, asshole.  You’re lucky that wasn’t something I was going to serve.”

“I wouldn’t have taken any if you were planning on serving it,” Zoro states matter-of-factly, getting up to grab a glass of water to wash the bread down with.

Sanji pauses in his cooking and takes a moment to gaze at his lover.  “I know,” he says quietly before going back to his task. 

The swordsman walks up to the blond and wraps his hands around the slim waist, looking over the cook’s shoulder to watch him cook.  “I know you didn’t take the ring.”

“Wouldn’t you be in a spot if I did, though, stupid marimo,” the blond teases.

“I could kill the witch for accusing you of doing something like that,” Zoro growls.

“First off, don’t call Nami-chan that.  Second, I wouldn’t let you hurt her.  Third, I know she didn’t mean it.”

“You’re going to forgive her… just like that?”  He snorts.  “Stupid cook…”

“I will always forgive a woman, especially in a situation like this where emotion makes her say things I know she doesn’t really mean.”  Sanji’s voice is warm and loving, and he feels the man holding onto him tense before letting go.

“Sometimes I have to wonder who it is you’re really screwing around with.  Sure, you let me fuck you, but you only ever act like this about _her_.” 

Clearly hearing the irritation in the swordsman’s voice, Sanji turns around to face the man.  Zoro’s giving him a very hard look, one that might frighten him if he were anyone else.  The blond lights a cigarette and deeply inhales before blowing a column of smoke into the air.

“I love Nami,” he states, not missing the immediate downturn of his lover’s lips, “but I’m not in love with her.  I cherish her, just as I do all women.  It makes me feel accomplished when I can make her happy, just as it does when I make Robin happy, or anyone other woman for that matter.  Yes, I’ve been around Nami longer, and thus my feelings for her are somewhat stronger that those I hold for other women, but that still does not mean that I’m in love with her.  The more time Robin is with us, the more my feelings grow for her, too.  I want to protect them and make sure they remain happy.  The love I hold for Nami, and Robin as well, is completely different than what I feel for you, shitty marimo.”

“And just what are those feelings you have for me?”  Zoro is clearly still pissed, but there’s a hint of curiosity in his voice as well. 

Sanji smirks.  “I wouldn’t let you fuck me if I didn’t feel _something_ for you.  I’m not the kind of man that would have sex with a person on a regular basis if all I felt for them was friendship at the most.”

Zoro is stunned, and he just stares at the blond as he turns back around to finish up breakfast.  It’s as close to a confession as the blond will ever give, and the swordsman can’t help but grin fleetingly before covering it up with his usual, stony expression.


	3. Chapter 3

Breakfast is more hurried than it’s ever been before.  Even Luffy seems eager to journey into the town and discover the mystery of the ring.  Overall, it’s not a pleasant breakfast, at least not for Sanji.  On top of the anxiety caused from the jewelry encased around his ring finger, he’s not at all pleased with the meal.  Granted, it’s rather good given the short time he was given to cook it, but it’s not nearly at the level he would like.  Not to mention the fact that he isn’t going to be able to prepare any kind of lunch.

The crew decides to split into two groups while one person stays behind on the ship to keep watch.  Robin, Nami, Sanji, and Franky make up the team that will head to where the treasure was found and try to ascertain what they can.  Luffy, Chopper, Usopp, and Brook make up the other team that will head into town to question the locals.  Zoro is to stay with the ship, which the swordsman isn’t happy about, and the irked expression on his face clearly states such. 

Nami hands out an allowance to each of the crew members.  “Use this for food.  There’s no telling how long we’ll be gone, but we’ll hopefully be back in time for Sanji to make supper.  Zoro–”

“I know,” he snaps.  “I’ll watch the ship.  If I get hungry, then I’ll grab something from the kitchen.”

Luffy is quick to complain about the fact that the first mate is being given permission to get food from the kitchen at any time while they’re gone.  Nami is quick to retort that Zoro isn’t liable to eat the entirety of their food supply in one sitting.  The captain then very seriously informs her that he wouldn’t eat _all_ of the food, just the meat, at which point he receives a generous, steaming bump on his head.

Sanji exhales a billow of smoke as he watches his nakama.  He can feel the heat coming off of Zoro’s body beside him, and the sensation sends an odd shudder throughout his body.  He’s already given the marimo the passcode to the lock on the fridge, where he can find the first round of omelets the cook had made this morning before all of this mess started, and granted him permission to the bread and fruit.  He doubts the man will actually eat the fruit, but he figures he should tell Zoro he can have some just in case. 

“We’re ready to go, Cook-san,” Robin calls from the dock.

“I’ll be right there, Robin-chan!”  The blond turns slightly towards the one beside him.  “Wish me luck, shitty marimo.”

“Tch.  What do you need any luck for?  Get your scrawny ass moving.  The sooner you guys leave, the sooner you’ll be back.  I’m expecting a feast of a supper, dart-brow.”

Sanji’s lips curl up at the sides and he sets off down to the dock where the rest are waiting.  Luffy’s group quickly heads off, the captain already talking excitedly about lunch, while the cook’s group treks along the beach around the island.  The blond muses quietly to himself about how amusing it would be if the treasure was found buried in the sand.  They had never actually come upon any treasure that way, but there’s a first for everything.

“Where is it that we’re headed to, Navigator-san?”

“A ways outside of the main town is a shabby area that looks like it could have been where the town was originally planned to be built.  There’s nothing much there but old, run-down houses.  It didn’t look like anyone has been living in that area for quite a while.  We found the treasure in one of the houses,” the redhead states.

“That’s a rather odd place for treasure to be kept,” Sanji speaks around the cigarette between his lips.

“I imagine the inhabitants of the island figured that pirates wouldn’t ransack an area that’s devoid of people,” Robin speculates. 

Nami leads the group along the beach, and when they reach the dense forest, she guides them through the winding trails as well.  It takes a good portion of the morning to navigate their way through the wooded area, or at least Sanji’s guessing that it takes that long.  It’s hard to see the sun through the tangle of limbs and leaves overhead.  By the time they make it to the outskirts of the area Nami had described to them, the sun is further along than the blond had guessed.  He had thought the sun would probably be overhead, indicating the time to be around noon.  By the positioning of the sun, it could clearly be into mid-afternoon.

“How about we stop for now,” the cook suggests.  “I’ll look around for anything edible that we can have for lunch.”

“Sounds good to me,” Franky declares as he flops down on the grass.

“I’ll help,” Nami says.

“There’s no need to worry yourself with such things, Nami-swan!  Rest here with Robin-chan, and I shall be back shortly with food.”

“No.  I want to,” she says firmly.

Sanji is stuck.  He doesn’t know whether he should let her help him, or further push the matter until she decides to wait here.  It’s not that he doesn’t want her to go with him, just that she would be less burdened if she were to stay with the other two.

“Sanji.” 

His name pulls him from his thoughts and he looks to the redhead, who has her hands settled on her hips and a rather in a rather ruling fashion. 

“If that is what you want, Nami-swan!  I will make sure to keep you safe from whatever the forest may fabricate to try and harm you!”

Nami just rolls her eyes and heads back into the forest, the blond following close behind her.  “We’ll be back in a few minutes, Robin, Franky.”

Sanji would rather die than admit it, but he almost wishes the navigator hadn’t decided to come.  The air between Nami and him is very unsettling.  Perhaps it’s just because of the ache from Nami’s anger directed at him, but he can barely stand the silence. 

The sound of rushing water reaches his ears, and the blond leads them towards that direction.  After a few minutes, they come within sight of the water source.  A stream runs through the breaks in the trees.  The fertile soil along the bank has grown multiple bushes, some containing berries.  At the roots of nearby trees are wild mushrooms as well. 

Quite content with his find, the blond removes his suit jacket to carry their find in, because he doesn’t have anything to help carry the food and he’s definitely not going to dirty something of Nami’s.  He rolls up his sleeves to his elbows and sets about examining the berries growing on the bushes to deem whether they’re safe to eat or not.  He picks a few and rolls them between his fingers, and even pops some into his mouth.  The berries are sweet with just a hint or tartness, reminding him very much of strawberries, although these look more like blackberries.  Next he wanders over to the mushrooms.  He recognizes a few of them from markets, and goes ahead and picks them.  While he heads back to the berries, he hears Nami shuffling around behind him.  He remains quiet, certain that she’ll speak up once she’s ready to.

Ten minutes pass and the navigator lets out a loud huff before squatting down next to him.  “I’m sorry.”

“For what, Nami-swan?”

“I know you wouldn’t sneak into our room, much less steal treasure from me.  It was unfair of me to take my anger out on you.”

“Think nothing of it.  I knew you didn’t really mean it.  I will do anything I can to be of service to you, even if that means letting you vent your frustration at me, Nami-chan,” Sanji says with a smile. 

The redhead searches his visible eye for a moment before sighing and ducking her head into her arms.  “You’re too good to be true sometimes, Sanji.”

At this, the blonde’s smile turns into a wide grin. 

“Anyone would be happy to be with you,” she continues.

“Thank you, Nami-sawn!”  The cook takes the rare moment of praise and basks in it, picking berries and laying them onto his suit jacket spread on the forest floor.  He spends all his time complimenting the women around him, and it’s nice to be the receiver of the appreciation every once in a while.

“Zoro’s quite lucky to have you.”

The basking stops and his blood runs cold.  A wide blue eye looks to the redhead in horror.  Nami is smirking knowingly, her chin now propped onto a palm.  His mouth hangs open as he tries to think of words, but his mind has gone completely blank in shock.

“Robin and I have known about you two for months.  Even before you guys got together, we were waiting for it to happen.  It’s not like you guys necessarily hide it all that well either, especially not when you use the crow’s nest as your love den.”

Sanji splutters and looks around him to help get his mind back in order.  “I– we– how did you– oh, God!”  His cheeks turn crimson in seconds and he hides his face behind his hands, blush moving up to color the tips of his ears scarlet.

Nami laughs and pats him on the back.  “No need to be embarrassed.  It’s not like we saw anything, we didn’t have to.”  A rather devilish grin claims her lips.  “The noises were enough to clue us in.”  She pauses a moment to watch him squirm before continuing, her tone now serious.  “We’re not going to turn you guys away now.  You’re both still nakama.  I’m sure Luffy would be thrilled to know.  He tends to worry about us.”

“No one else knows except you two?” The blonde’s voice is strained.

“Not that I know of.”

“Oh, God,” the cook cries out dramatically, prostrating before the navigator and whimpering.  “How can I ever forgive myself for letting you hear such a thing?!  I’m so sorry, Nami-swan!  Please forgive us… forgive _me_ , my Mellorine!”

“Forget about my earlier tantrum, and we’ll call it even,” she states.

After much convincing, and the navigator demanding that the blond stop blubbering, the two of them get back to collecting food to bring back to their waiting nakama.  The embarrassment is enough to make Sanji wish the ground would split in two so that he could fall into its crevice for the rest of eternity.  Although it could be worse, he muses.  At least Nami doesn’t seem disgusted by his relationship with the marimo. 

/---/

Nami and Sanji return to the other two with a generous amount of food.  The blonde’s suit jacket holds berries and mushrooms while the blond carries four fish in his hands.  Franky cheers when he sees the two. 

“Finally,” man groans.  “I thought I was going to waste away to nothing!”

“Welcome back, you two.  I was looking around in the houses nearby, and found these.”  Robin presents a few pokers to the blond.  “I figured they might be useful.”

Sanji smiles brightly.  “Those will be perfect, Robin-chan!  We can skewer the fish and mushrooms on them.”

The cook goes on to begin lunch.  He lowers his suit jacket down to the ground and retrieves the spare cooking knife he had thought to bring with him earlier.  Quickly he prepares the fish before skewering each onto a different bar, followed by the mushrooms.

Franky looks quiet pale as the pokers are handed to him to cook.  “Watching you cut up and gut those fish is enough to make me lose my appetite.”

“Then Nami-swan and Robin-chan can share your portion.”

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t eat it,” the man states quickly before producing a small flame to glide along the underside of the rods.

After the fish and mushrooms are cooked to the blonde’s satisfaction, he carefully presses the tips of his fingers against the pokers to gauge how hot they are.  Content that they’re cool enough for the women to handle, he hands them over before grabbing another for himself.

Sanji’s thoughts wander as he eats his food.  He hopes that they find something here that helps them to uncover the mystery behind the silver ring stuck on his finger.  As he glances at the ring, he notices that the sapphire seems to be almost glimmering in the sunlight and the color of the jewel looks much more pronounced.  He moves his hand from side to side, but the gem stays the same.  He figures it probably has something to do with the sun reflecting off of it, and distracts himself with finishing his meal.  He’s disappointed to notice that he still feels just as groggy as he had been upon first waking up, even with all the excitement the day has produced.

After the group eats, they set off to search through the rundown neighborhood to find the dilapidated house the treasure was found in.  Sanji folds up his suit jacket and drapes it over his arm to carry.  He’s surprised at the number of houses in the area.  He’s guessing the neighborhood must have been quite lively when it was full or people. 

It doesn’t take them long to find their destination.  Upon turning a corner, Nami announces that the residence is just up ahead.  The group stops right on the outside of the property, and Sanji scrutinizes the house critically, bringing a cigarette up to his lips and lighting it.  The house is of moderate size and was probably quite sought after in its prime.  Still, it doesn’t even look safe enough to venture into, and the blond finds himself grimacing.

“You went in there, Nami-swan?  That pile of rubble hardly looks sturdy enough to keep from collapsing under the weight of a mouse!  Oh, I don’t want to imagine it!   Franky, how could you let her go in there?!”

Before the cyborg can reply, a crackly voice speaks from somewhere nearby.  “Despite its appearance, that house is still quite sturdy.  Still, I wouldn’t set foot in it if I were you.” 

The group looks around cautiously, although the person speaking did not sound threatening.  A hunched over old woman comes hobbling down the dirt path, a gnarled cane grasped in her wrinkly, petite hand.  She stops before them and smiles kindly up at them.

“You four must be travelers.”

“Yes, we are,” Nami states.  “We just anchored at the harbor a few days ago.  We’re waiting for out Log Pose to set.”

“It takes five days for Logs to set, dear.”

“Yes, the people in town told us.”  Nami pauses a moment and glances at the house before them.  “Actually, my friend and I were here yesterday.  We went into that house and noticed the treasure inside.  We were wondering–”

“Why there would be a treasure chest in an old house where anyone could find it?”  The old woman cackles.  “That is a very interesting story.  You’ll have to excuse me, but I have supper cooking – I just came out to inspect who had wandered into the area.  Would you mind coming to my home so that I can tell you?”

“Not at all,” the redhead says.

“You guys go ahead.  I’ll catch up in a minute,” Sanji states.

Franky turns to him and gives him a befuddled look.  “What for?” 

The cook holds up the cigarette between his fingers.  “I’ll finish this before following.”

The old woman peers over to him and dips her head in gratitude.  “That’s very thoughtful of you, sir.  Thank you.  I’ve never quite been able to handle the smell of smoke.”

With that decided, his nakama and the old woman heads past the house that contained the treasure and into the only house that looks even semi-habitable.  It only takes the blond a few minutes to finish his cigarette.  Excitement begins humming though his veins.  They might learn something about the ring from this old woman, perhaps even a way to get it off.  He stomps on the end of his cigarette and walks towards the woman’s house.

However, as soon as the blond sets foot onto the property of the house before him, he finds his body frozen.  His mind swims and his breath hitches in his chest.  Panic sets in as he finds himself unable to move or call out for help.  He sees the sapphire on the ring glowing, and slowly warmth fills his body.  The warmth seeps into his mind, and he finds himself losing consciousness.  In seconds, his world fades into darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for violence.

Zoro absolutely despises guarding the ship.  On normal days he despises it, but on this particular occasion it goes far beyond despise.  There’s a strange restlessness teasing up his spine and into his muscles, making it hard to focus on anything.  He sits cross-legged against the mast and stares out at the dock.  The warmth of the sun beckons him to sprawl on the grassy deck and nap, but there’s no way he’s getting caught sleeping on watch – again.  When he notices it getting harder to keep his eyes open, the swordsman lets out an irritated sigh and stomps into the kitchen, tearing off a chunk of bread from the loaf sitting on the counter.  He’s not Luffy; he can’t sleep while eating.

After a couple hours of wandering aimlessly around the ship, he decides to bring a few weights down to help pass the time by.  Some weight training should take up at least a couple hours.  By his 2,458th bicep curl, the sun is bearing down on him from its position at the apex of the sky.  He decides now would be a good time to have lunch.

As Zoro wanders his way into the kitchen, he feels the tingling sensation of foreboding, which he’s had since early this morning, intensify.  It’s the main reason behind his restlessness.  He takes two of the omelets from the fridge and bites into the first before he even makes it over to the counter.   He seizes a bottle of sake from the collection of alcohol, feeling quite rebellious as he does so, and grabs another chunk of bread before heading back out onto the deck. 

He glares up at the sky as he eats, willing time to move faster.  Of course, time _doesn’t_ move faster, which only makes him glare harder.  He takes a mighty bite out of the bread in disgust, chewing viciously as he moves his glare down to the port. 

Zoro aimlessly wonders why he can’t seem to keep his gaze away from the dock.  It probably has something to do with the fact that he’s waiting rather impatiently for someone to return and bring him news about the ring.  He’s not exactly worried about it, especially since Kitetsu hasn’t reacted to it, but he doesn’t like the fact that the blasted jewelry refuses to come off.  It’s not normal, which means that _something_ is wrong… and there’s always the possibility that that something could prove harmful to the cook.  A frown forming at the thought, the swordsman quickly swallows the rest of his lunch down, takes a drink from the sake bottle, and goes back to weight training. 

He’s usually excellent at concentration, but his concentration now is nearly nonexistent.  He takes frequent breaks, always pausing to look out at the dock, before having to force himself to go back to training.  He’s never been this way, especially about training, and it’s driving him crazy.  As another hour passes, his temper steadily rises and rises until it reaches the boiling point. 

Zoro throws the weights onto the deck, snarling at them.  He’s had enough.  He can’t wait any longer for the crew to return, but he knows he can’t leave the ship either.  Letting out a string of curses, the swordsman stomps around on deck for a while, trying to blow off some steam.

Thankfully, letting out every swear word he knows and stomping around enough to make his feet ache manages to lessen his anger by some degree.  He still feels worked up enough to effortlessly take out an entire navy fleet, admirals included, but he no longer actually feels the desire to scout out any possible enemies nearby simply to let loose on them. 

He wanders back over to the weights he had thrown and stares down at the sizeable depression in the deck where they landed.  He winces.  Franky is not going to be happy when he returns and sees this.  Maybe he can cover it up with something so that no one will notice.  He looks around the deck to find something to conceal it with when he glances out at the dock once more.  His body relaxes almost instantly, _not_ in relief at seeing the blond mop of hair sauntering towards the ship… no.  Zoro would never admit to feeling relieved at seeing the damn cook, but he is.  He’s slightly confused as to why he’s coming back alone, but thinks nothing of it for now.

It isn’t until Sanji steps onto the deck that Zoro figures out that something isn’t right.  As soon as the blonde’s foot touches onto the deck, Kitetsu begins reacting.  Zoro grabs Kitetsu’s hilt, frowning in confusion.  He looks back up at the blond.  He can’t see anything off about him; he looks the same as usual with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, cigarette hanging between his lips, and his entire being completely poised, although he doesn’t see the cook’s suit jacket.

However, once the man gets within a few feet of him, the swordsman notices a few odd things.  The sapphire on the ring is so dark that it’s almost black, and it almost looks as if it’s glowing.  The most troubling thing, though, is the glassy state of that blue eye.  As Sanji walks closer, he realizes something that makes his blood run cold.  The blond isn’t looking at him.  He’s physically looking at him, yes, but he sees no recognition in his eye.

When the cook reaches out and wraps his arms around Zoro’s neck, Kitetsu nearly howls.  For a moment, Zoro is frozen, even as he feels Sanji nuzzling into his neck.  He finally comes back to himself when a wet tongue licks a stripe up to his jaw.  

The swordsman grasps onto the blonde’s shoulders and jerks him away.  “What the hell do you think you’re doing, shitty cook?”  There’s still no sign of familiarity, just hollow lust. 

He tries again.  “Why are you even back?  Where are Nami and the others?”

Sanji just pushes forwards against his hands, but Zoro’s grip stays true.  “Does it matter?”  The blonde’s voice is nothing but a low whisper.  The tone is nothing Zoro has ever heard from him before.

“Of course it matters,” he exclaims.  “What’s wrong with you?”

He sees a flicker of blue light out of the corner of his eye, and then Sanji is pushing him to the ground with more strength than his small frame should possess.  Not to say the blond is weak; Zoro of all people knows how strong the man truly is.  It’s just not _normal_ for Sanji to push back on his hold and overpower him so easily.

The cook straddles his waist and forces his arms above his head, holding both hands in a grip tight enough to cut off blood circulation.  The swordsman is momentarily stunned, the wind having been knocked from his lungs at the sudden meeting with the deck, but he goes rigid as the blonde’s free hand goes down to his swords. 

“Nothing’s wrong,” Sanji purrs into his ear, deftly removing the three swords from his possession and throwing them across the deck. 

“Oi!”  Zoro snaps and he fights against the hold pinning him down as the blonde’s free hand moves dangerously close to his groin.  “Release me, shitty bastard!”

“You don’t like it?”

“Of course I don’t!”

The blond hums in his throat, a thoughtful expression lighting his face before he grinds his hips down into the swordsman’s.  Zoro hisses and manages to surge forward enough to break the blonde’s hold and throw him off.  Sanji kneels on the deck and looks up at him, a flicker of fire flashing in his eye.

Zoro glances to the side to see how far away his swords are.  They’re close enough that he could dive for them, but he risks getting attacked by doing so.  He looks back to the blond.  He’s completely clueless as to what he should do. 

“What’s the matter?”  Sanji’s voice still holds that foreign tone as he asks, barely above a whisper.

The swordsman stops to think, watching the man before him cautiously.  It doesn’t appear he’s in any immediate danger, but there’s no telling how long that sentiment will hold true.  He sees a flash of blue light again, and he dares a quick glance down to the ring again.  An idea strikes him.

“Why don’t you take off the ring?”

The blond looks down at his hand.  “Do you not like it?”

“No.”

A frown touches the corner of the blonde’s lips.  “But… I got it especially for you.”

Zoro pauses, very confused by the cook’s words.  “I don’t like it.”

Sanji’s shoulders slump and a sad expression crosses his face.  “Then I have no choice.” 

When the blond reaches for his leg and pulls out the concealed kitchen knife, Zoro is more than ready.  He dives for his sword just as the knife plunges into the wood of the deck where a second ago he sat.  It appears whatever has possessed the blond has made him quicker as well as stronger.

Both men move to stand, eyes unmoving as they watch one another.  Zoro unsheathes his swords and readies his stance as Sanji’s fingers flex around the hilt of the knife.  For a brief moment neither stirs.  Zoro feels the sun beating down on his back and he grips onto his swords tighter, itching to grab Wadou and place it between his teeth.  In the next second, Sanji rushes for him and the fight begins.

He parries the knife away from his throat and aims the dull side of his blades towards the cook’s side.  His attack is evaded, and the blond goes back on offense immediately.  The knife aims towards his head, and Zoro raises his swords to block it, but at the last second has to jump to the side as the blond changes his direction towards his stomach.  They continue switching off defense and offense, feet moving to a dangerous dance.

Zoro briefly has to wonder if any of the skill being used against him is the cook’s.  He wouldn’t be surprised.  He’s seen Sanji hunting for food –though he usually leaves the job to Zoro or the other men in the crew– and prepare different meats –effortlessly slicing and gutting as if it's second nature–, so it very well could be his own skill amplified. 

The swordsman manages to knock the knife from the cook’s hands, rushing another attack before the blond can attempt to reclaim it.  The fight pauses for but a moment.  They stare at each other, breathing only slightly labored.  Zoro notices the other man clenching and unclenching his hand, and the sapphire jewel of the ring shining brightly, almost as if it’s alive. 

Their fight continues as Sanji rushes forward to attack.  Zoro brings his swords down in an arch, which the blond easily avoids.  The swordsman narrowly misses the fist aiming at his head, not expecting the attack.  He stares in disbelief for a moment at the man in front of him.  Sanji would _never_ attack with his hands.  If he had any doubts that his lover wasn’t himself, they were just thrown out the window.

He’s better prepared when the blond drops down to a crouch and swings a leg out to try and swipe Zoro off his feet.  The previous attack having failed, the blond immediately lurches forward to strike again.  Zoro is stuck on defense for quite a few minutes.  Seeing an opening, Zoro swipes his swords downwards, aiming for the blonde’s shoulder.  His goal is to cause the other pain in hopes of returning him to his senses, so he holds back on the strength behind the push.  However, Sanji does something completely unexpected. 

The blond moves forward at the last second, causing Kitetsu to pierce into his shoulder while the other sword slices into the blonde’s hand as he grabs it.  Zoro stands stock-still, too afraid to move.  Sanji tightens his grip on the sword in his hand, causing a torrent of blood to dribble down his arm and onto the deck.

Zoro finds himself yelling before he even realizes it.  “What the hell are you doing?!  Stop it!”

The blond yanks the sword from Zoro’s hand, shuffling backward and making the blade in his shoulder tear into the flesh even more before slipping free.  Zoro has to quickly parry as the blond immediately swings his bloody sword into an attack.  The swordsman once more falls into defense mode, trying to keep his mind from dwelling on the blood flowing from his lover’s wounds.  Deciding to treat this as an actual fight against an enemy, Zoro grabs Wadou and grips it tightly in his free hand.  It feels wrong to not have the blade clenched between his teeth, but his other sword is currently in possession of his lover, so he’ll have to make do for now. 

As the fight rages on, both men obtain numerous injuries.  Zoro has obtained a gash above his brow -causing blood to run into his eye and hinder his vision-, a rather nasty slash at the crook of his neck and shoulder -which would have no doubt taken his head off if he hadn’t managed to avoid the full blow- and a few minor scrapes here and there.  Along with his arm injury, Sanji now sports a gash at his hip, a wound at his temple -where Zoro had thrust the hilt of his sword to try and knock the blond out-, and a slice to his thigh.  The two are now breathing much harder, the fight clearly starting to take its toll.

Sanji drops down to a crouch, and Zoro prepares to defend the attack, but is caught off guard as the blond springs back up at the last second and head-butts the swordsman.  Zoro loses balance and falls to one knee, momentarily dazed.  A sharp pain in his side makes him cry out, and he looks down in disbelief at the sword piercing his side.  The blond moves to attack again, but Zoro manages to drive him away by slamming the hilt of Kitetsu into the blonde’s chest. 

While the blond staggers back to his feet, Zoro extracts the sword from his side.  Before he can take up a defensive position, Sanji pounces.  Zoro’s back hits the deck with the blonde’s hands wrapped around his neck.  He’s surprised to find the fingers pressing into his flesh hesitating, the pause long enough for him to inhale air back into his lungs.

“What’s wrong?”  The swordsman focuses his gaze into the blue eye before him.  It’s filled with a swirl of emotions that he can’t quite distinguish, but he definitely sees anguish.  “Why are you hesitating?”

Sanji’s brow furrows and he tightens his grip around the other man’s neck, although still not quite tight enough to constrict oxygen flow.  “Why?”  The sudden despair that blooms across the blonde’s face causes Zoro’s breath to hitch. 

“Why what?”  He’s never seen that look on his lover’s face, and he does not w _ant_ to see it.  The look doesn’t belong there. 

Even more startling is the tears that start flowing down the blonde’s cheeks.  “I love you,” he whimpers.

Zoro doesn’t have time to vocalize his confusion, as the hands around his neck suddenly tighten and completely cut off his air.  His arms immediately go up to grab onto the blond, snarling at him to release him.  His hand slips on the blood still running down Sanji’s arm.  He starts to panic as his lungs begin to burn for oxygen.

He looks up into his lover’s eye; searching for any kind of recognition he can grab hold of to stop this.  The only thing he sees there is a pain so deep that it makes his chest ache.  The blonde’s tears fall onto his cheeks and Zoro briefly wonders which one of them is actually suffering. 

His vision is fading.  His heart is beating against his ribcage demanding oxygen be delivered to his lungs.  His body is going numb.  His grip on his lover’s arms slacking.  Zoro realizes that he’s going to die, but he doesn’t feel panicked by the thought.  The only thing he can focus on as he starts to lose consciousness is the face of his lover. 

He can’t imagine Sanji can see with all the tears clouding his vision.  The blonde’s head is ducked so that his hair falls into a curtain, obstructing the swordsman view.  He faintly hears the sound of sobbing above the ringing in his ears, and he feels the blonde’s body shaking.  He wants to reach out a hand and wipe the tears away, but he can no longer move. 

Zoro’s mind slips into darkness, hands falling limp at his sides.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no! Is this the end for our favorite swordsman?!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more fighting~

Luffy trudges along between Usopp and Chopper, face completely downcast.  “But _why_ couldn’t I get some more meat?”

The long-nosed man sighs wearily as if he’s had this conversation multiple times already.  “Because we already had lunch and you don’t have enough to get more.”

“Which is why I was going to add the rest of the money you guys have, too.”

“That’s not fair at all!”

Luffy pouts.  “Sure it is.  I’m the captain.”

“I’m sure we can find something once we get back to the ship,” Brook says joyfully.  “By now everyone may already be back.  There might even be delicious snacks waiting for us!”

At the prospect of food, Luffy takes off at a run, the shouts of his nakama following behind him.  He laughs heartily, wind blowing his hair back.  He grabs onto his hat to keep it in place with a grin nearly splitting his face in two.

As soon as he’s within sight of the Thousand Sunny he starts cheering.  “Sanji~!  Food!”

Not even taking the short amount of time to run the rest of the way, he grabs hold of two posts along the dock and uses his Gomu Gomu power to sling himself onto the ship’s deck.  He starts his mantra for food again, but the words slowly die on his lips.  His smile falls into a confused frown at the site in front of him.  Sanji is hunched over Zoro, shoulders shaking and blood blossoming from his left shoulder.  There’s blood splattered in places around the deck, Zoro’s swords tossed to the ground a few paces from the form of his two nakama, a sake bottle lying broken on its side with its contents spilled out, and weights strewn across the deck.

“Sanji?” 

He moves forward to stand before the two.  His first mate is lying prone on the deck, covered in wounds and eyes closed.  His cook has his hands wrapped around the swordsman’s neck, blood staining his clothes and head bowed.  It takes him a moment for his brain to process the scene.

Luffy pushes the cook to the side away from Zoro.  “Hey!  Zoro!”  He doesn’t see his chest moving to signify that the man is breathing, so he leans his ear down to the man’s chest and listens.  He doesn’t hear his heart beating. 

The dark-haired teen looks over to the cook in wide-eyed horror.  The blond head is still bowed, so he can’t make out the other man’s expression, and his shoulders are still shaking but have lessened to a slight tremble.  Luffy looks in disbelief from the bruised imprints of fingers on the first mate’s tanned flesh to the cook’s hands.  He slowly gets to his feet just as the rest of his group makes it onboard.

“Chopper, Zoro isn’t breathing,” the captain says quietly. 

Chopper squeaks and rushes over to the swordsman with Usopp and Brook following close behind.  As soon as the little reindeer crouches down at Zoro’s side, Sanji lashes out with an attack.  Chopper, Usopp, and Brook yelps in surprise as Luffy blocks the attack and swings his arm around to release his own, which Sanji easily avoids.

“Don’t worry about Sanji, Chopper.  Focus on Zoro.”

“Right!” 

Usopp looks wearily to their cook as the doctor transforms into his human form and begins the process of CPR.  “Something’s not right, Luffy.”

“I know.”  Luffy stares at the cook, a pained expression crossing briefly across his face before it’s replaced with determination.  “You guys go to the infirmary.  I’ll take care of this.”  His nakama waste no time as they scurry off the deck to safety. 

“What are you doing, Sanji?”

The blond lifts his head but makes no reply.  The visible blue eye is red and puffy, as if he’s been crying, and there’s dullness to his eye that doesn’t sit well with Luffy.  The captain feels a chill run down his spine, and it makes his confusion grow even more.  He doesn’t understand what’s going on. 

He watches cautiously as the blond bends over and picks up one of the discarded swords from the deck.  The cook holds it in his good hand, fingers curling around the hilt and holding firm.  The two lock gazes as the air grows heavy between them.  Luffy’s body is tense with a restlessness that only comes right before a fight.  When the blond rushes towards him, the dark-haired teen is ready.

Luffy isn’t really used to having to dodge swords, especially not when it comes to Sanji.  Granted, he’s never actually fought the blond, but he’s been kicked and watched the cook fight enough times to know his style, and swords are not part of Sanji’s fighting style.  He imagines this must be what it would be like if he were to have a serious fight with Zoro.

He aims his attacks to hit but is very mindful of the visible wounds on the blonde’s body.  He’s worried about the man’s shoulder and hand because he seems to be favoring it.  He manages to connect his fists into the man’s chest, and the blond stills for a moment to regain his breath.   

Their fight continues, although it quickly turns in Luffy’s favor as it seems the cook’s body has worked itself to its last straw.  Sanji’s breathing is extremely labored, sweat collecting along his brow.  He looks paler than usual, and the captain notes that fresh blood is still flowing from his wounded shoulder.  The cook looks like he’s going to pass out any second, although Luffy doubts he’ll actually be able to.  It’s clear Sanji isn’t completely in control of his body right now, so he may very well continue fighting until his body completely gives out or he dies.  The dark-haired teen will have to find some way to knock the blond unconscious before that can happen.

He hears the sound of footsteps behind him, and he glances back briefly to see the forms of the rest of his nakama and some old woman appear onto the deck.  It distracts him just long enough for the blond to be able to get an attack in.  Luffy manages to deflect the biggest portion of the attack, but he’s still sporting a large gash in his upper arm now. 

“Luffy,” Nami shouts to him, “knock him overboard!”

“Why do I want to do that?”

“Just do it!”

The captain nods and looks to the railing of the ship behind the blonde’s back.  If he can catch the blond off-guard, then he can use his Gum-Gum Bazooka to knock the man back into the ocean.  The hard part is managing to catch the blond with his guard down.

It takes a few minutes, but Luffy finds his chance.  With the blond raising the sword in preparation to attack, the captain stretches his arms back and slings them forward to connect into the blonde’s chest.  Even at half of its usual power, the blow manages to knock the blond airborne past the edge of the deck and into the water below. 

The dark-haired teen races to the side of the ship, gripping his bleeding arm.  He sees the blond go under and waits.  Air bubbles rise to the surface and burst.  Panic sets in as, after a few minutes, the blond doesn’t come back up.

/---/

The first thing Sanji notices when he comes to is immense pain all over.  His shoulder and hand hurt the worst.  He’s afraid to look at the damage to his hand.  There’s also a terrible throbbing in his temple producing the worst headache he’s ever experienced.  He feels completely exhausted and quite sick.  His stomach is twisting in rather unpleasant ways.  When he opens his eyes he has to immediately shut them again, the light filtering into the room burning his retinas.  The sound of whispering around him sends pain pulsing throughout his head, and he lets out a low groan. 

“Sanji, how are you feeling?”  Chopper’s voice sounds from beside him. 

“Feel like shit,” he mumbles.  “Head hurts.”

He hears the small reindeer shuffling around and the sound of something rattling before the doctor returns to his side.  “Take these.  They’ll help your headache.”

Sanji opens his eye just a slit to slowly adjust to the light before completely opening his eye, quickly noting that he’s in the infirmary.  He moves to pull himself up, but when he sets his left hand down onto the bed to move himself an intense pain shoots up his arm.  He feels arms behind him helping him to sit up, and he mumbles a thank you.  He takes the medicine and glass of water held out to him and quickly knocks both back.

Returning the glass to the doctor, the blond rubs his temple.  “What happened?  The last thing I remember is being in that run-down neighborhood.  Where are Nami-san and the others?”

“We’re here,” the navigator says softly.

“Are you sure being there the last thing you remember?”  Chopper asks.

“Yeah.”  He hisses and cradles his hand to his chest.  “What the happened to my hand and shoulder?  They hurt like hell.”

He sees the doctor look down and fidget from the corner of his eye.  Alarms start sounding off in his mind.  The doctor never beats around the bush when it comes to any of the crew’s injuries.  The rest of the crew has also gone completely silent. 

“Something happened,” he says quietly. 

“It was nothing you had control over,” Zoro states.

The cook looks over to the other bed in the infirmary and his eyes instantly widen.  “What…”  The white bandage wrapped around the swordsman’s neck stands out like a beacon against his tanned flesh.  There’s a bandage above his right eye and another wrapped around his stomach. 

“The ring possessed you, dear.”  The blonde’s head flicks around to the old woman that they had met earlier. 

“That doesn’t make any sense…” He returns his gaze to the marimo and then looks down at himself.  There’s an ugly bruise peeking out beneath a bandage wrapped around his shoulder and chest.  There’s a bandage at his side and he can feel another wrapped around his thigh.  “We fought?”

Zoro scratches the back of his head.  “Yeah.  Damn ring amplified your speed and skill.  You didn’t use your kicks, if you can’t tell, and stole one of my swords, fucking cook.  You somehow managed to knock me out.”

“I got here right after you knocked Zoro out,” Luffy announces.  “I could tell something wasn’t right, so I held back when we fought.”

“We fought, too, Luffy?” 

“Yeah, but not for long.  Nami and the other guys got here, and she told me to knock you overboard.  Didn’t really make much sense to me, but I did it anyway.”  The captain frowns then.  “You wouldn’t come back up, though.  Franky went in after you, said you were sinking like a rock… but you’re not a Devil Fruit user…”

“It was the ring, dearie,” the old lady chimes in.  She turns to the blond and places a wrinkly hand on top of his.  “You had no control over your body once you stepped onto its land.  I was wondering why your friends seemed in such a hurry to learn about the treasure.  If they had simply told me that the ring had chosen you, then I would have been here to help earlier.” 

“What do you mean by it being the ring’s fault?”  The blond asks.  His head is starting to hurt worse. 

The woman sighs, her expression saddening and grip tightening slightly on the cook’s hand.  “The ring belonged to my daughter.  My… it’s been almost forty years since it happened.  You see, she was madly in love with a local trader’s son, and it appeared he was madly in love with her, too.  After a year of them seeing each other, the young man came to me and asked for my daughter’s hand in marriage.  I could see how happy she was, so I readily gave my consent.  They were to be wed in the spring of the next year.’

“The young man had followed in his father’s footsteps and become a trader.  In the fall he was to ship out to trade goods with one of our neighboring islands.  My daughter had this ring forged to give to him… my daughter was a Devil Fruit user.  It’s been so long that I can’t remember the name of the Fruit, but she had the power to split her soul and put it into things.  She put a part of her soul into that ring and gave it to her fiancé so that he’d have a piece of her while he was away.’

“He was gone until late into winter, and she was so happy when he returned.  There are many young traders that don’t come home, you see.  When she went to greet him, he had a woman with him.  It turns out he had found a new love while away and even impregnated the woman.  He gave the ring back to my daughter and left our island,” the old woman stops for a moment and clears her throat. 

“She died not long after that, but the part of her spirit in the ring lived on.  The ring took on all the pain and anger my daughter felt before she died… we had an incident a little over thirty years ago similar to this one.  Someone became possessed by the ring and attacked their loved ones… the ring ended up claiming the wearer’s life.  After that we decided it best to hide the ring.’

“The treasure from the chest is the town’s.  We hid the ring in there as a sort of offering to my deceased daughter.  Since that part of the town is hidden back in the forest, we figured no one would look for it there.”  She squeezes Sanji’s hand gently, unshed tears shining in her eyes.  “When you fell into the ocean, the sapphire splintered and her soul was released.  My daughter is at peace now.  Thank you.”

The blond sits up in the bed and stares at the woman for a few minutes.  He notices the ring sitting on the table nearby amongst various medical supplies.  The sapphire has a crack running down the length of it, and the color of the gem, which was so vibrant before, is now dull.   The story doesn’t sound believable, but then again the crew has come across many things that don’t. 

“Okay,” Chopper speak up, “it’s time for Zoro and Sanji to rest.”

The crew and the old woman filter out of the room obediently.  The blond hears Luffy whining about dinner before the door is shut.  Chopper goes about the room and picks through various jar filled with herbs and liquids. 

“Oi, go on with the others,” Zoro tells the little reindeer.  “I’m sure they’re going to run into town for dinner, and we’ll be fine on our own.  How much trouble can we get into resting?”

The doctor fidgets and mumbles something about watching over his patients, but when the swordsman tells him to go once again, Chopper listens and scampers off. 

Once they’re alone, Zoro lets out a contented sigh and settles back onto his bed.  “The only thing I like about the infirmary is the beds.”

Sanji makes a noise in the back of his throat.  He can’t tear his eyes away from the ring, his mind repeating what the old woman had said.  He doesn’t remember anything of what happened, although it sounds like that’s for the better.  Pain throbs in his temples and he rubs his forehead with a frown.

“Hey, there’s no point in stressing about what happened.”

The blond snorts.  “That’s easy for you to say.  I attacked you, and I attacked Luffy, too.”

“It’s not like you had any control over it,” the swordsman shrugs.  “We’re alive, and our wounds will heal.  There’s no use dwelling over it.”

“Zoro… I _attacked_ you.  I tried to _kill you_!  How can you possibly expect me not to dwell, shitty marimo?!”

Zoro lets out an irritated sigh.  “But you didn’t kill me, crap cook.  It’s stupid to fuss over something that _could_ have happened because it _didn’t_.  The ring is off, we’re all fine, and in a couple of days, we’ll leave this island.”

When the blond continues frowning and staring angrily at the ring, the swordsman gets up out of his bed and walks over to the blonde’s.  He sits down on the side of the bed and grabs his lover by the chin, pulling his face towards him and locking their gazes.  “Never in a million years would you be able to kill me, shit for brains.  So stop thinking about it.”

Sanji opens his mouth to retort, but the marimo’s lips silence him.  The kiss is light, barely more than a brush of their lips, but it’s enough to keep the blond from talking.  The idea of his lover dying, and especially at his own hands, makes his heart drop into his stomach and the back of his eyes sting.

When Zoro pulls away, the blond feels much calmer.  They sit with their foreheads touching, and Sanji soaks up the heat radiating from his lover.  As much as he doesn’t want to admit it, the marimo is right.  They’re both okay, so there’s no use in worrying.  It’s not like this is the first time they've landed themselves in the infirmary.

“Sorry about your hand, although it wasn’t my fault.  You grabbed hold of my sword like a fucking idiot and did it yourself,” the swordsman says. 

The blond smirks.  “Just means that you’ll have to help me in the kitchen, bastard.”

Zoro rolls his eyes and pushes the blond on his back.  “Yeah, yeah.  Whatever.” 

They lay down on the bed together.  There are a few minutes of shifting and cursing as they try to make room for the both of them on the small bed, but they manage it.  Sanji lies on his side facing his marimo and just stares, ignoring the heaviness of his eyes.  Zoro already has his eyes closed, his brows furrowed just slightly and mouth set in a firm line.

“If you’re not going to rest, then I’m going back to the other bed,” the man grumbles.

The blond feels the vibration of the man’s words through his skin.  It sends a pleasant shiver through his body, and he curls closer to his lover.  He can feel the other man’s breath musing his hair, and he basks in the familiarity of their position. 

Zoro throws an arm over the blonde’s hip.  “Close your eyes, shitty cook.”

Sanji doesn’t want to listen, but he feels so tired.  He begrudgingly closes his eyes, and after just a few minutes of listening to the swordsman’s heartbeat, he falls back to sleep.


	6. Epilogue

“I can’t believe you gave back the treasure,” Usopp exclaims.

Nami waves her hand at the man in a dismissive fashion.  “I kept some of it, of course, but it didn’t seem right to take _all_ of the treasure from that obaa-san.”

At the confused looks she gets from Usopp, Luffy, and Chopper, the redhead frowns.  “What?”

“It’s just surprising,” the sniper says.

“Yeah,” Luffy agrees.  “When it comes to treasure you never think twice about stealing it.  It’s almost like you _care_.”

Nami promptly beats the captain and sniper over the head with a barrel, sparing Chopper only because he hadn’t said anything, but she gives him a very menacing look that sends the littler reindeer scurrying past the cook that steps out onto the deck.  Sanji looks from Chopper’s retreating form to Luffy and Usopp, who are both sporting steaming bumps on their heads.  It’s quite easy to guess what had happened, especially with the way the red-haired navigator is lecturing the two men before her angrily.

“Nami-swan~!”  The blond twirls over to her, somehow managing not to spill the drinks on the tray in his hand.  He picks up one of the more aesthetically pleasing drinks and offers it to the woman.  “A specially concocted drink just for you, my Mellorine.”

She huffs and takes the drink, muttering her thanks under her breath before stomping off to presumably go back to working on her maps.  Luffy promptly scoots over and pulls on the cook’s pants leg to demand his own drink, which Sanji gives him and Usopp, along with his own scolding about how they should treat Nami better.  After presenting everyone with their drink, the cook returns back to the kitchen. 

Upon entering his domain he’s greeted with the sight of Zoro seated at the dining table, his drink in one hand and the other propping his chin up. 

“Don’t give me that look,” the blond calls in a singsong voice as he walks over to the counter to continue working on lunch.  “You’re the one that said you’d help me in the kitchen until my hand heals up, marimo-kun.”

“It’s not like you really need me for anything.  You end up taking over everything you tell me to do anyway,” the swordsman grumbles.

“That’s because you don’t listen to what I tell you.”

“No one cares if the vegetables are all sliced perfectly and identically, damn cook!”

“You have absolutely no appreciation for what I do,” Sanji sighs.  “A meal isn’t just about nutrition.  It’s also about the presentation of the food.  Carefully presented meals are much more satisfying than food just just thrown haphazardly together.”

“Make the food _pretty_ on your own time.”

The blond just rolls his eyes, not even deigning to carry on with the conversation.  “Get up here and cut up the okra, shitty swordsman.”

Zoro mumbles under his breath, but goes to the counter and begins the task anyway.  “I don’t understand why you insist on serving vegetables all the time.  It’s not like Luffy’s ever going to like it.”

“Whether he like it or not he’s going to eat it, even if I have to force feed him.  A diet of only meat isn’t healthy for anyone.”

The swordsman doesn’t respond, simply concentrating on trying to cut the okra into slices the cook would approve of.  Most of the complaining is really just for show.  It’s a chore to help the blond in the kitchen, but he feels obligated to.  Plus there’s the fact that he really doesn’t want the cook further injuring himself trying to do everything on his own.  Zoro would rather be stuck with kitchen duty for a year than have the cook’s injuries worsen like he had nearly done.

The swordsman had managed to hide the bruises on his neck for a while, but the blond found out about them a few days ago.  The result was disastrous.  Sanji had locked himself in the kitchen, only letting the crew in during meal times.  He even went so far as to forego snacks for the day, all so that he could avoid the swordsman.  That night he had had to go to Chopper because he had hurt his already injured hand, at which point both Chopper and Zoro chewed him out about trying to do everything on his own.  Zoro and Sanji had fought about it all, the blond clearly rattled with guilt, but the blond had finally agreed to stop avoiding the swordsman and allowing help in the kitchen again. 

Zoro catches the blond glancing at the bandages around his neck for the umpteenth time and internally groans.  It’s going to take a long time for the blond to get over this one.  “What are you making for lunch?”

“Hiyashi soba, miso soup, and shrimp tempura,” the blond says over a steaming pot.  “When you’re done with the okra, get the green onions and chop those as well.”

The swordsman looks from the pan of oil on the stove filled with shrimp to the plate beside it with golden, shrimp tempura piled high.  His stomach rumbles in anticipation.  He doubles his efforts in cutting up the vegetables, quickly moving on the green onions. 

After a few minutes all the food is ready.  Sanji begins making plates for the crew, sprinkling nori flakes over the soba and putting the okra and green onion on the side.  Zoro watches the blonde’s face as he goes about his task.  He wonders if the cook is aware that he smiles when he’s cooking and preparing food to be served.  Probably not.

“It’s good to finally be back out to sea,” the blond says.  “I don’t mind docking at islands, but ten days a little too much for me.  I was ready to leave as soon as the Log was set.”

“Me, too, but Chopper refused.”  The swordsman snorts.  “Sometimes that little guy can be even more hard-headed than Nami.”

Sanji stops all movement, visible eye going large and shoulders going tense.  He winces as pain stabs at his wounds and relaxes his shoulders a moment later, trying to pass it off as if nothing had happened.  Zoro was paying attention, though.

“What?” 

The blond shifts from one foot to the other as he puts the finishing touches on the meal before moving to set up the table.  “Nothing.”

The marimo raises a brow, clearly not buying it. 

Sanji starts to fidget.  “It’s really nothing.”

“You wouldn’t be fidgeting if it was nothing, shit cook.”

The cook sighs and brings a cigarette to his lips before lighting it.  “I forgot to tell you something.”

“Go on.”

“You see… that day a week ago when we all split up to find information about the ring,” the cook pauses and glances at his lover’s throat, “I received some… news from Nami-chan.”

The swordsman frowns in confusion.  “And?”

“It appears that she and Robin are aware of our relationship.  She said that they… uh… _heard_ us.”  At this Sanji’s face goes bright crimson, and he sucks at the end of his cigarette urgently. 

Zoro stands there a moment, completely dumbfounded. 

“She says that we should tell Luffy.”

The swordsman slumps into a chair at the table and groans.  He could actually handle telling Luffy.  Hell, he could even handle telling the other males in the crew, although there would probably be a few comments made by Usopp and Franky, but nothing bad.  He has no doubt that their nakama will accept the news.  What makes him feel slightly ill is the fact that the girls know.  Sure, Robin had been throwing knowing glances around, but she _always_ does that.  Nami’s going to give him hell. 

“If those two know, then there’s no point in hiding it from the rest of the crew,” he sighs.

The blond exhales, taking a moment to consider this.  “You think?”

“Yeah.  We’re nakama after all.”

“Nami-chan said the same thing.”  Sanji doesn’t even try to hide the smirk when the other man makes a noise of irritation.  “When should we tell them?”

“I say during lunch.”

The blond nods his agreement.  With that decided he goes to round up the crew for lunch.

/---/

The meal went smoothly, as did the announcement about their relationship.  Sanji was kind of worried Usopp was going to choke on his soba when he had heard, but the sniper hadn’t seemed to mind after he managed to down the noodles.  Judging by the way Franky had leaned over to Zoro to whisper something to him and the way the swordsman had sent him flying, he’s guessing they didn’t have a problem on that front either.  Luffy had laughed joyfully and congratulated them.  It all went perfectly well… until after lunch. 

Strangely enough, Chopper was the last one to leave.  With their nakama all out of hearing range, the little reindeer had told both Sanji and Zoro that sex was prohibited until their wounds were properly healed.  Sanji and Zoro both went for their preferred alcohol as soon as the doctor was out of the room, cheeks colored with embarrassment.  Clean up could wait for a bit.


End file.
